Friday, April 11, 2014

My "reimagined" Streep filmography: An epilogue

Beyond 2014 we have the possibilities of The Good House, an adaptation of Ann Leary’s best-selling novel, which, if it happens, will co-star Robert De Niro. No director is yet attached, however, as the script may still be unfinished, suggesting that filming may not happen this year. Harvey Weinstein revealed in January that he’s developing a feature film starring Meryl called The Senator’s Wife, another political drama which is set to take aim at the National Rifle Association.Ricki and the Flashwas just recently announced and is reportedly set to begin production this fall.

Personally, I have my own wishes when it comes to what we’ll see from Meryl in the future. As the perfect vessel for cinematic portrayals, I would love nothing more than to see her in a Catherine the Great, Susan B. Anthony or Indira Gandhi biopic. How about a film adaptation of The Testament of Mary, or revamped miniseries of The Corrections? If we want to get really speculative, what about another buddy project? The blacklisted Best Actressmight work with Meryl and Susan Sarandon. And if 2016 turns out the way I hope, some sort ofHillary Clintonbiopic is practically an inevitability.

Of course the majority (if not all) of these suggested future projects won’t happen. But I love the idea of Streep having two lead projects per year over the next half decade, with one biopic and one literary adaptation/original screenplay per calendar year. The following proposed filming schedule would finish up just before Streep’s 70th birthday.

The Good House (filmed May-Jul ‘15, released November ‘16)2017 The Senator’s Wife (filmed Oct-Dec ‘16, released October ‘17)

Catherine the Great biopic (filmed May-Jul ‘16, released December ‘17)2018 The Corrections--TV (filmed Mar-July ‘17, released November ‘18)

Best Actress (filmed Sep-Nov ‘17, released December ‘18)2019 The Testament of Mary (filmed Apr-Jun ‘18, released April ‘19)

Hillary Clinton biopic (filmed Mar-May ‘19, released December ‘19)

Without question Meryl would be very busy, but if these were the actual projects that came her way, I imagine she’d be up for it. I’ve proposed release dates that would not only position the films to do well at the box office, but also provide Streep with the best chance at critical and award recognition. At the time of this post however, none of the aforementioned projects (with the exception of Ricki and the Flash) are set for production.

I can’t resist taking stock in the remarkable range of skills Meryl has acquired and demonstrated over the years in her screen performances. When considering only language, if we accept my reimagined filmography Streep will have either spoken or done accents in Received Pronunciation British, Polish, German, Texan, Virginian, Danish, Irish-American, Australian, Spanish, Lakota, American Sign Language, Italian, Irish, Scottish-French, Yiddish, Bronx, Cajun, Upper Midwestern, Mandarin, Boston Brahmin, Russian and Oklahoman. More tangible skills like white water rafting, horseback riding, Irish clog dancing, violin playing, French cooking, baking, and of course singing all add to the richness of her brilliant performances.

Assuming Streep’s films would earn as much as they did with their original actors, the replacements and net total of three additional projects I’ve added to her career would result in a surplus of $843 million in worldwide box office returns. None of the films I’ve removed earned Streep an Oscar nomination, while seven of those I’ve added did so for the original actresses in their respective roles. Looking back at her unparalleled run of success and almost unimaginably celebrated life, with what I’ve outlined in this reimagined look at her filmography, it’s fascinating to realize how close she’s actually come to the perfect career.